The Reveal that Didn't (continuation)
by tav1sh
Summary: prompt by kittybug: Marinette finds out that Adrien is Chat Noir and finally confesses to him. He doesn't know she's Ladybug so he rejects her. Marinette, in a moment of panic, admits that she's Ladybug but he doesn't believe her. The next day, Chloe (having overheard them) starts berating her in front of the class for claiming that she's Ladybug just to win Adrien's affections.
1. Chapter 1

hey yall! this is a continuation of a prompt i saw off of tumblr! the prompt was by kittybug, first part by skaylanphear and second part by sadrien. i highly recommend reading them before you read this! you can read them both here: post/153978450978/skaylanphear-kittybug-me-okay-brain-what

the endgame ship here is lilanette, but it starts out with the general love square.

have fun!

/

It somehow seemed to bring a sense of clarity to her. If Adrien, if _Chat Noir_ , couldn't accept Marinette's word, then they never would have worked out anyway. He was never in love with _her_. He had always been in love with Ladybug. And while Ladybug was an essential part of Marinette's identity, she'd always had the nagging thought that they were separate personalities. Adrien loved the witty and outgoing Ladybug. Chat Noir loved the confident and strong superhero.

But he had never loved the shy and nervous Marinette. He had never loved the girl who had given him her autograph, who had designed a contest-winning hat, who had loved _him_. Maybe he had liked her like a friend. But he never loved her. Never would love her.

And if he was never going to love Ladybug's civilian identity…

 _He was never going to love me_.

 _We were never going to work._

Marinette found herself at the park, and she collapsed on a bench.

"Marinette!" Tikki flew out once they were hidden, worry in her voice. Marinette's arms came around her, curling in on herself as the tears finally started.

"I'm so stupid," She managed to say in between shuddering breaths, "I shouldn't have even tried- revealing my identity? Stupid, _stupid!_ " Adrien not believing her would have been one thing, but Chloe hearing it all and then announcing it to the entire class? She'd only planned on entrusting her identity to Adrien, but now that all of the kids in her class had heard that, she could only deny it. She could only admit to lying. And if Adrien- dear, sweet Adrien- was so quick to just shut Marinette down like that, well, at least Chat Noir was safe from knowing Ladybug's identity. That was the last time she was ever going to try and tell anyone about her identity.

Even if Adrien, if Chat Noir, would forever think that Marinette was just a liar.

Marinette knew how this superhero business went. Her identity was supposed to be secret. If people actually knew that Ladybug was Marinette, all of her friends and family would be at risk. Hawkmoth would have no qualms about using them to get to her. She had wanted so bad to just transform right there in class, just to prove them all wrong, but she knew better.

"Marinette-" Tikki tried again, but then suddenly she dove into Marinette's purse.

"Here you are, Ladybug,"

Marinette's head jerked up in surprise, and out of all the people she expected to be standing in front of her, it had to be Lila Rossi.

Her mood instantly soured even more. There was no reason for Lila to be here. She'd never even spoken to Lila as a civilian yet, except for introducing herself as class president. Since the Volpina incident, Lila had gone to school as usual. She'd tamped down on the obvious lies, however.

"What do you want?" She snapped, standing up. Marinette moved to leave, arm coming up to wipe at her tears. "Are you just here to make fun of me?"

Lila pursed her lips, looking down at Marinette inquisitively but not saying anything. Marinette glowered under her gaze, and started walking.

"I know how it feels," Lila suddenly said from behind her, and Marinette stopped, not turning around.

Oh no. Lila was _sympathizing_ with her. She'd been humiliated by Ladybug disproving her, and now she was-

"Well, I was going to say that I know how it feels when you're caught lying, but-" Marinette heard the footsteps and finally turned around, looking at Lila. The girl looked Marinette up and down, and continued, "But now that I'm here, I think you weren't even lying in the first place."

Marinette's scowl fell from her face, and for the third time that day, she didn't know what to say. Out of the people who _would_ believe her, it was _Lila_.

"You- you _hate_ me," She finally said, staring at Lila in disbelief, who shrugged, "And why do you believe me?"

"Call it a liar's intuition," Lila said, "A _super liar_ 's intuition. Besides, you two look exactly the same. And believe it or not, I don't hate you. I just never wanted to see you again."

Marinette stared. She was getting tired of people ragging on her. Especially people who considered her their enemy. Lila had just come to see Ladybug all weak and pathetic.

"Then go away," She said, "That way you won't have to look at me." Her voice was bitter, and even though Lila had just revealed that she believed Marinette was indeed Ladybug, if Lila was just going to be a jerk then she wanted nothing to do with her. She started walked away again, wishing she could just rewind the day.

"Wait!" Lila called, but Marinette kept walking. She didn't care, and she wanted to leave. "Marinette!" Marinette gritted her teeth and kept moving. She was feeling less sad and more angry. She was upset with Chloe and Adrien, but she was more upset with herself. None of this would have happened if she had just kept it all to herself.

"Ladybug!"

Marinette whirled around, furious, and stormed to Lila, who's expression changed to something like _oh crap_. They were lucky no one else was in the park.

"Shut. Up," She growled, fingers curling into fists. "What do you want?" She spat, and as she moved forward, Lila took several steps back.

"Is that all you're going to do?" Lila asked.

"What?"

"I thought Ladybug was better than that," Lila said, and Marinette felt the fury inside her grow. "You just ran away! I thought you were stronger than that!"

"You don't understand," Marinette managed to say, trying to keep her voice controlled. Lila was riding such a fine line- she didn't even _know_.

"I can't believe I considered you my enemy," Lila said, straightening so she could be even taller, "You're just pathetic right now."

Marinette was dangerously close to an outburst.

"If all you wanted was to see me like this, then go away. You can go home and feel all happy that Ladybug turned out to be dumb girl and was humiliated in front of all of her friends. Congratulations!"

At that, Lila's face fell.

"I-" She began, but Marinette interrupted.

" _Go away_."

Marinette turned to leave again, praying that it would be the last.

"I'm sorry."

Marinette slowed her pace, taking controlled breaths. Lila was so persistent, so irritating-

"I didn't mean it like that," Lila said, "I just- I couldn't stand seeing you like this. You're supposed to be cheerful and pushy and all that stuff." Marinette came to a stop, turning the thoughts over in her head.

"Was that your way of trying to make me feel better?" She finally asked, exasperated as she glanced behind her. Lila suddenly turned red.

"Well!" Lila began, searching for words. Several seconds passed, and after looking at Lila's flustered expression, Marinette began to laugh. With her laughter, she felt her body grow a little lighter. The anger and pain seemed to lessen a bit, and all the while Lila looked like she had no idea what to do. Lila's face was funny, what she'd said was so ridiculous, and everything that happened had been absolutely terrible.

And Marinette laughed anyway.

"Are you done yet?"Lila asked, slightly annoyed after a solid minute of Marinette's laughing, which was borderline hysterical. She got a hold of herself and tamped down on her laughter, forcing them into smaller chuckles.

Marinette was not doing well.

"Yea," She replied, "How did you think saying those kinds of things would make me feel better?"

"I don't know! It worked, didn't it? Aren't you all happy now?" Lila threw her hands in the air, only a little exasperated. "Why don't you go prove them all wrong now?"

At that, Marinette's temporary high went back down to a low.

"I can't," She said.

"Why not? You had no problem telling Adrien how much of a liar _I_ was. Why can't you show them you were telling the truth?" Lila went on.

"They can't know the truth," Marinette simply said, "It would put them in danger."

"Why in the heck did you tell Adrien then?" Lila looked genuinely confused.

Oh boy.

Marinette felt her eyes well up again.

"I knew he loved Ladybug. I thought- I thought-" Marinette only made it that far before she was weeping all over again. She was mindful not reveal that Adrien was Chat Noir, however. "I like him so much, I- I thought this would be the only way he would like me,"

Lila looked left and right, clearly uncomfortable with this turn of events, before closing the distance between them and wrapping Marinette in what might have been the most awkward hug she'd ever received, ever. She felt Lila give gentle, but also awkward pats on her back, and the whole situation was so weird that she nearly started laughing again. But no, the arms around her and the shoulder her face was pressed in were so warm and comforting that all pretenses of being okay just vanished.

And Marinette sobbed.

Who knew that after having her heart broken by the one she loved, the one who protected her and the one she protected, that an old enemy would be the one to try and pick up the pieces?


	2. Chapter 2

There were a grand total of two and a half people who now knew Ladybug's identity.

Lila, who was skilled with deception, and could reasonably tell when people were and weren't lying.

Alya, who knew Marinette so well and would never falter in supporting her.

And Nino, who had never known Marinette to lie, but was torn in trying to comfort Adrien and trying to figure out what was going on.

Marinette had resolved to make that the limit. She'd only ever meant for one person to know, and that had been Chat Noir. But that failed, and now almost three people knew, while an entire class of people scoffed at the idea of it being true.

She toyed with the idea of telling Chat Noir while she was Ladybug. And maybe she _was_ furious with him, distraught and upset and everything. Maybe she wanted to see him regret his words, because he caused her so much pain.

But telling him, Marinette knew, would cause him grief, and automatically put him danger as well. As long as Alya, Lila, and even Nino never even hinted at knowing the truth, they would theoretically be safe. _And_ , she thought bitterly, _if he can't even trust who I really am, why should I trust him with it?_

She'd have to pretend like she had been a liar all along. Pretend like her real identity wasn't Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It would be a cruel game to play, and she would feel terrible the whole way through. It was terribly and unfortunately ironic. Marinette, who had been telling nothing but the truth to Adrien, was now just a liar in his head. And on the other side, Ladybug would go on as if nothing was wrong, lying and pretending about her identity, laughing when Chat Noir told her about hearing some girl claiming to be Ladybug.

Chat Noir would believe Ladybug.

And it would all be false.

When she came home on the first day, she'd pulled down all of the pictures on her wall. She'd taken down the magazine spreads and framed pictures and shoved them deep into her dresser. She couldn't handle looking at him for much longer, anyway. Being hurt the person you loved was just-

It was just excruciating.

She remembered looking at Adrien and feeling her heart swell. She remembered her voice stopping in her throat and her face turning red as she froze. She remembered her the butterflies in her stomach and the giddiness she felt when Adrien smiled.

And just like that, it was no more.

Instead she just felt a painful emptiness when her thoughts turned to him. She felt betrayed.

Chat Noir was one of the most important people in her life. They trusted each other, risked their lives for each other and were partners. Chat Noir was also Adrien.

And Adrien didn't trust her. He didn't trust Marinette.

The tight bond that Ladybug and Chat Noir shared had loosened. Now that Chat Noir and Adrien were united in her mind, she trusted him just a little less.

In the end, Marinette had been lucky that it had happened at the end of the week, and she mercifully had the weekend to talk to Alya and Lila (separately) and ignore the rest of the entire class.

Alya had discreetly texted her all through the class she was in after Marinette fled. She was confused, but she had realized the truth.

After all, Alya knew more than anyone how Marinette vanished from time to time.

How Marinette was never there when Ladybug was.

Marinette was thankful that she had a friend like Alya. Alya had hurried to the bakery immediately after class was out, armed with warm hugs and comforting touches (and the knowledge that Nino half-believed her). And when Alya had to leave, Lila was messaging her.

She'd gained an unlikely friend in this entire mess. She wasn't sure what to think about Lila.

Lila, who couldn't handle seeing her enemy weak. And Lila, who had probably ditched class just to see how said enemy was doing.

Lila, who had been there when Adrien wasn't.

Marinette remembered the way she'd treated Lila before. She'd felt bad, even if it was the semi-right thing to do. (Proving her wrong was one thing, but yelling about it in front of her crush? Bad.) But after the Volpina incident, everything went as usual. Lila, who had been spared the embarrassment of having the Ladybug lie exposed to _everyone_ , was still charming and popular, although was more careful about what she said. People didn't know Volpina's identity, and Lila kept it that way.

Marinette had also come to the conclusion that part of the reason Lila came to her enemy's aid was because she hated Chloe far more than she disliked Ladybug. Chloe and Lila had had many sharp conversations. Chloe, upset with someone being more popular than her, would insult Lila like she did to essentially everyone but Adrien. Lila, who despite having maintained a peaceful image of a flirty, well-rounded girl who wanted to make friends, actually fired back.

Lila might actually have learned a lesson from her lying.

The boy that Marinette loved and cherished broke her heart. And the girl who Ladybug had shot down only a few weeks prior was now texting her, asking if she was alright.

Irony.

 _Lila: hey how are you holding up_

Marinette laid down on her bed, sighing.

 _Mari: absolutely terrible :D_

The emoticons were a must, in her opinion. Several seconds passed where not even the typing bubble showed up, and Marinette figured she must have been too dry in her response.

 _Lila: umm_

 _Lila: do you…. wanna talk about it… ?_

Marinette snorted, despite wallowing in her misery. Lila was so awkward when it came to being a friend. She wondered if Lila had ever had many close friends before. It was strange to even consider her a friend now, because they'd barely spoken before, and most of their interactions had been when Marinette was Ladybug and seething with jealousy.

Weird.

Then again, it had also been one of her best friends who had crushed her heart. So… Marinette didn't think too hard about being Lila's friend.

 _Mari: i appreciate the offer but rn… i just.. i need some time_

Marinette was past most of the grief already. As Ladybug, she couldn't afford to feel negatively for too long, lest Hawkmoth akumatize _her_. If she was turned into a villain, no one would be able to purify her.

Even thinking that was disheartening.

Being a hero was hard.

But Marinette was used to it by now.

"Marinette?" Tikki asked from her nightside table, and Marinette turned to face her.

"I'm sorry for all of this, Tikki. I know my identity is supposed to be secret," She said, gently laying the back of her hand on her forehead.

"It's alright, Marinette. You meant well. Are _you_ okay?" The kwami returned, concern in her eyes.

"I don't know," Marinette answered truthfully. She felt a little empty inside, a little numb.

"Are you going to talk to Chat Noir about this?" Tikki asked, scooting a little closer.

"I… I don't think I can handle doing that so soon. I've ruined my relationship with Adrien. If I talk about it to Chat Noir, what we have will be changed. He'll be upset and- and I don't want to see that."

A part of Marinette was telling her that she was being too kind. She wanted to avoid hurting Chat Noir, _Adrien_ , even more than she already had. But she also wanted to tell him the truth, because she had been wronged and she wanted him to apologize. It was a war, but Marinette treasured the boy too much to even truly consider causing him anymore pain.

"Oh, Marinette!" Tikki flew over, hugging Marinette's cheek. "You're too good!"

Marinette had thought she was prepared to see Chat Noir.

Marinette had been wrong.

Ladybug and Chat Noir patrolled a few days a week, and one such time was Saturday night. She had been nervous, but she'd shown up anyway, perched up on the highest part of the Eiffel Tower. No matter what, Marinette had a duty to protect the people of Paris.

But she hadn't been ready to feel the stab that tore through her heart when Chat Noir showed up.

"Good evening, my lady." She heard his voice before she saw him, and she wondered how she could never tell how his voice and Adrien's were so similar before discovering his identity. But with the sound of his playful voice came the sharp pain of heartbreak and betrayal.

"Hey Chat," she replied, not looking towards him. She wasn't sure she could.

"Ready to go?" He asked, and she stood up, still facing away from him.

"Yea," She took her yoyo from her waist, and the two were off. Chat Noir seemed a little less upbeat, as well.

He was feeling the pain of what he thought was a lying friend.

But could Marinette mend that without causing him even more?

"What's wrong?" She asked, to break the silence, and she hated herself for asking. And she knew she would only hurt more from what he said.

"Sharp as ever," Char sighed as they flew through the air, "One of my friends lied to me," He said, and Marinette could feel it. The twinge in her chest.

"Oh? What happened?" Stupid. Why was she doing this to herself?

"It's a girl from my school. A lot of people know that I'm a big Ladybug fan as a civilian," He started, "She told me that she was Ladybug so that I'd date her."

Ladybug was silent, because she felt the lump in her throat start to grow.

"So many girls have lied about things like that to get me to like them," He confessed, "But I never expected that from her."

"That's terrible," Ladybug finally said, and she didn't know how she kept the tears at bay, "A friend doing something like that is the worst." Chat Noir glanced at her.

"Did something happen with you, too?" He asked, his face and voice full of concern. Ouch. Ladybug swallowed hard, wincing at lump in her throat.

"Yea," She said, "I don't want to talk too much about it, but one of my closest friends didn't trust me about something, and now our friendship is ruined."

"Oh no," Chat Noir and Ladybug paused on a roof, each of them taking a few breaths, "How could anyone not trust you? Your friend is dumb."

God, it hurt so bad. Ladybug was about to just start weeping right there.

"Maybe it was a little bit of my fault. I'm just so bad at talking to people. I was stammering a lot and I didn't a lot of sense."

"Even you have a cute side like that, huh?" Chat Noir commented, "But even so, if it was a close friend, they should have listened to you. You're a wonderful person, and you value honesty above many other things. No one in their right mind would think you'd lie."

Ladybug stared hard at the lights in the buildings around them, willing her tears to not spill out.

"Thanks, Chat," she whispered and Chat Noir walked over and hugged her.

Marinette had never felt just as terrible as she had when she felt Chat Noir's head on her shoulder or his arms wrapped around hers.

She didn't want this.


	3. Chapter 3

When patrol was over and Paris was deemed safe for the night, Ladybug waved goodbye to Chat Noir and opened her yoyo.

 _Mari: could u tell me ur address its mari_

There was someone she needed right now, because she felt like shattered glass. And the only person had managed to pick her up before was the person she was messaging now. Maybe she should have gone to Alya, but she knew that Alya was busy with her family on the weekends and especially on Saturday nights. That left Lila, who knew the situation.

Lila replied, sending the address with almost no hesitation. Ladybug's yoyo showed up as Ladybug on every phone, so it was easy for Lila to know that the text was true.

 _Lila: parents aren't home, feel free_

Marinette was surprised that Lila didn't say anything else, but she still closed the yoyo and went. Her tears were cold on her cheeks, brushed by the wind that soared around her. She wasn't sure she could do this for much longer, let alone _forever_. Protecting Adrien's feelings even though she was the one in much more pain.

If she talked to him and told him the truth… their Ladybug and Chat Noir duo would be changed forever. She'd lost Adrien already.

She didn't want to lose Chat Noir, too.

When Ladybug arrived at the building, she spotted a window being pushed up by none other than Lila, and she leaped over, the fight to keep her tears from falling over. They were falling, and there was no stopping them until she fell through window from momentum and literally just landed in a heap on top of Lila.

She didn't care.

Ladybug didn't get up. She just curled her fingers into fists as she wept, face pressed against Lila's shoulder.

This was so embarrassing.

Ladybug remembered saving Lila from akumatization. Lila had said they'd never be friends.

And look where they were now.

Ladybug buried her face in Lila's shirt, not wanting to actually look at Lila's face because of how embarrassed she felt.

"I'm sorry," She sniffled quietly, still not getting up. All of the energy had left her body, "For crying on your shirt."

"It's fine," Lila said, arm coming around to rest on Ladybug's back, "nothing the washing machine can't fix." It was so comforting to have that physical contact. The kind of contact she wanted from Adrien. When he was congratulating and thanking her and gently touching her shoulder or hand.

That was gone.

Marinette's fists became tighter as a fresh wave of sorrow racked her body. Surprisingly, Lila just… she just laid there, letting it happen, stroking Ladybug's back and hair. She didn't know why Lila was letting this happen. She could understand Lila coming to comfort her yesterday a little bit, but she had no idea why she just let her sob on her shirt.

"You're okay," Lila said, "You will get through this."

Marinette wasn't sure she could agree but it made her feel a little better nonetheless.

When her crying finally subsided to a few sniffles, she realized how awkward the positions were, but even then she couldn't really bring herself to move.

"Um, do you want a bed or something?" Lila asked. Ladybug kind of did, but that would be asking for a lot. Lila seemed to sense this and rolled her eyes. "You already fell in my window and cried all over my shirt, what's one bed gonna do?"

Ladybug could feel Lila's chest move with every word and breath. Even just the motions and vibrations were soothing.

"Okay," She said, and her voice sounded so pathetic she was ashamed. Ladybug rolled off first and then struggled to get to her feet. She wondered how long the transformation would last if she never used her power.

A long time, probably.

Lila got up and Ladybug tried hard to not look at the tear stains on her shirt.

"So, what happened this time?" Lila asked as she gently took a hold of Ladybug's arm and pulled her to an unmade bed. Ladybug bit her lip as she sat down. She didn't know how to go about it without giving away Chat Noir's identity.

"I-"

"Wait a minute, did you just come here or were you just with Chat Noir?" Lila asked, looking at the spotted suit, and Ladybug looked down at herself.

"I was with Chat Noir. We were patrolling," Ladybug answered, flexing her fingers in her lap as Lila went to her closet, probably looking for another shirt.

"I understand," Lila said after a moment to think.

"No, you-" Ladybug began.

"Chat Noir," Lila said, turning to give Ladybug a glance, "He's Adrien, isn't he?"

That shut Ladybug up and she just stared at Lila with wide eyes. How did she know? A few moments in silence passed as Lila changed her shirt inside the walk-in closet, hidden by the door.

"Green eyes, blonde hair, and being with him made you cry all over me? Sounds like Adrien to me," Lila said from the closet, and then came out with a loose t-shirt that didn't cover her shoulders all the way.

"...Yea," Ladybug sighed, "Sorry."

"Look, it's fine," Lila walked over and sat down, "You're in an awful situation. You deserve all the help you can get."

"But why are you helping me?" Ladybug continued.

"What am I supposed to do when the great superhero Ladybug shows up sobbing at my house?" Lila threw her hands in the air, but not too threateningly, "Maybe we didn't like each other, maybe we still don't. The fact remains you're a hero and you're in trouble, and I'm not a heartless asshole."

"Even after what I did to you?"

"I was being stupid and made a weak lie. You just called me out. You didn't do anything wrong," Lila huffed.

"I shouldn't have yelled about it in front of Adrien" Ladybug shook her head.

"Whatever, I'm over it. I didn't even really like him anyway. He was just the most popular guy in the class."

Ladybug was just at a loss for words. Lila was absolving her of all blame _and_ comforting her.

"Well," Ladybug said meekly, "I like you now."

Lila glanced over and laughed.

"That makes one of us," She shrugged, and shifted over. "Do you want to lie down or something?"

Ladybug did.

"I dunno," She said, and Lila just sighed and got up, and gently pushed Ladybug down. She let herself go down and just laid there, thinking about what Lila said.

 _That makes one of us._

"Why don't you like yourself?" Ladybug asked, turning onto her side. Lila had sat down with her back against the side of the bed and taken out her phone.

"Are we really going to go there?" Lila asked, voice clearly resistant to the idea.

"Sorry," Ladybug backpedaled immediately. She was already pushing it by being comforted by somehow who didn't really like her. She shouldn't pry, either.

Some silence passed, and Lila heaved a sigh.

"I know about your identity and your boy trouble, so I suppose it's only fair," She said, and put her phone down. "It's funny how everyone's calling _you_ a liar. My entire life is a lie."

"What do you mean?" Ladybug asked, even though she kind of already knew.

"I lie about a lot of stuff. Like knowing celebrities or doing cool things. It makes people like me. I'm never in any place long enough to really make any friends. So I lie and have the next best thing."

"And what's that?"

"Fake friends who only want to hear your fake stories."

"Oh." Ladybug frowned.

"It's fine." Lila picked her phone up again.

"It's not, though." Ladybug reached an arm over the edge of the bed, gently touching Lila's back. The t-shirt neck was too wide, and that part of her shoulder was bare. "You're being so nice right now. We can be friends."

Lila stiffened, both at Ladybug's words and touch, and then stood up. Ladybug recoiled, worried she'd said something wrong. After that Adrien mess, she wasn't sure about anything she said anymore.

"You can stay here as long as you want. My parents are on a business trip," She said, readjusting her t-shirt sleeve to cover her shoulder. "I'm going to take a shower,"

Lila moved to leave, and Ladybug frowned again.

"Lila?" She called out for the last time, "Thank you."

Lila froze, and then curtly nodded at Ladybug, and was gone.

Ladybug released the transformation so Tikki could rest.

"Lila turned out to be a surprisingly nice girl," Tikki observed, yawning a little, "It's good we got to see this side of her."

"I think so, too," Marinette said quietly back, watching as the bedroom door closed behind her. She pulled out her phone to contact her parents, texting that them that she was at a friend's house.  
Maybe she would sleep over.

Marinette steeled herself as she walked in the classroom. A little unsurprisingly, Chloe was standing near her desk, arms crossed as she argued with Alya, who was firmly planted in her seat and yelling back at Chloe. Adrien was blessedly not there yet, and Marinette could at least rest easy about that.

"If it isn't our very own Ladybug!" Chloe exclaimed, turning to Marinette, who stood next to the door. Marinette narrowed her eyes.

"Yea, it's me," She replied, stepping in. _Brush it off_ , she told herself. She _was_ Ladybug, no matter what anyone else said. Marinette came to a stop in front of Chloe, waiting for her to move out the way so she could sit.

"What, you think I'm going to let you sit behind Adrien after what you've done? You've got some nerve, Dupain-Cheng," Chloe looked down at Marinette in disgust.

"Move, Chloe," Marinette said firmly, holding Chloe's gaze. Everyone who was already in the class turned to look. She glanced around, and felt herself die a little when she saw Adrien walk in next to Nino. She looked away.

"Yea, Chloe. I'm already sitting here, and I'm sure you don't want to sit next to me," Alya chimed in, and Chloe glared down at her before turning it back to Marinette.

"You think you can walk in here after you _lied_ to Adrien?" Chloe jabbed her finger at Marinette, who held her ground and matched Chloe with an equally deadly glare. "You're a filthy liar who tried to get Adrien to love you because there's no one who would ever love you otherwise!" Chloe then reached out with her hand and shoved Marinette, who stumbled backwards.

Marinette gasped, her foot slipping on the elevated floor, and for a moment she was falling as fast as her heart.

Until something pressed against her back, halting her fall. A hand pushed her up.

"Oh, give a rest, Chloe," Lila was saying, and Marinette blinked in surprise as she got back to her feet. Lila had stepped in behind her and caught her, and was now about to lay verbal waste to Chloe.

"Lila?!" Chloe was affronted.

"So what if she told one lie? At least she doesn't put people down for her own sick amusement like a certain _someone_ standing in front of me. You've turned countless people into supervillains and the like, and you've the gall to talk to Marinette like that?" Lila spoke like she was a queen condemning a traitor, regality and authority just emanating from her voice. Her words were like the commands of a courageous general.

"You! Marinette was-" Chloe was furious, and ready to let loose a torrent of words.

"I don't want to listen to whatever's going to come out of your mouth," Lila cut her off curtly. "Shape up and sit down; whatever you've got to say is worthless until you become a decent human being."

Marinette was shocked into silence, impressed and amazed by what Lila was saying. She was so confident, so strong and had no problem with shutting Chloe down. Alya's mouth was open, but in a giant smile.

"She was just defending me." Another soft voice said.

And just like that, Marinette's high went down.

Adrien was standing at his desk, eyes downcast and his voice almost mournful. Marinette had to close her eyes for a second to keep her emotions at bay. _Calm down_.

But in the second, Lila just redirected her words towards Adrien without pause.

"Shut your mouth, Agreste," She said, looking down at him. Marinette's jaw dropped a little bit in surprise. _No one_ had ever spoken to Adrien like that. Everyone fell silent. "I don't want to hear the words of someone who can't even keep a private conversation private. And I especially don't want to hear it from someone who has to gang up on a girl in front of an entire class, let alone a friend of Chloe. You should be ashamed of yourself. And I'm saying that to everyone who sided with Chloe."

Marinette snuck a glance at Adrien, and she could barely read his emotions.

The entire class stared with wide eyes, everyone afraid to even breathe. Chloe was seething, her entire body almost vibrating with anger.

With that, Lila cast one last look of disapproval down at Adrien, and took Marinette's arm, pulling her up to the back of the classroom. Alya was quick to ditch the seat, grabbing all her books and heading on back as well.

"I'm going to tell-" Chloe tried one last time, voice raised and eyes wild.

"Your father? Alright, go ahead. I'm just quaking in fear over here." From the back of the classroom, Lila could look down at Chloe from an even higher height. "Have fun solving all your problems with your daddy's power!" She called down at the girl, and sat down, "I'm sure that will help you later on in life!"

As the three girls sorted their stuff out and sat down, chatter began to rise up in the classroom. Chloe and Sabrina sat down behind Adrien and Nino. Nino looked like he wanted to flee. Poor dude.

"Holy _crap_." Alya looked at Lila with eyes, who smiled coolly in return.

"I hate people like that," Lila said, resting her head on a hand.

"Wow," Marinette said quietly. Sure, she could have also given Chloe a mouthful, but no way could she have done it as beautifully as Lila had.

She really had found a new friend.


	4. Chapter 4

Adrien had reached a strange point in life.

He had been stuck in a bad mood for a long time, and was also just torn about so many things.

Like he was torn about Marinette. She… she never was one to lie. She prized honesty.

But the scene that had played between them had been one he had experienced too many times. Too many people lying about certain things to get him to like them. Lila lied about knowing Ladybug, but it hadn't been as much of a shock because they had never been close. But Marinette… they'd become friends over several months. And they were _good_ friends, too. Maybe there were parts of her that resembled Ladybug. He could admit that.

But there was too much of her that didn't.

Ladybug was playful and confident. She was smart and always figured a way to defeat akuma. She was a fighter and wasn't afraid of anything.

Marinette was shy. Demure. She was a nice person but she wasn't extraordinary. She didn't do that well in class. She was clumsy.

They couldn't be the same.

She'd lied to him. After so many people trying to convince him of their lies, he wasn't about to believe in another.

And the next day, Chloe had called her out on it. Adrien knew that Chloe wasn't a wonderful person, and she had next to no friends. She had Sabrina.

And she had Adrien, no matter how much he'd always wanted to deny it. Maybe she was mean and haughty at times. But out of everyone else, she'd always been there for him no matter what. And she had been there for him when Marinette had lied.

When Lila had been talking down at Chloe, he'd stepped in. Chloe had been trying to do the right thing. Adrien had expected that Lila would just stop and listen to him considering how much she flirted with him before.

He hadn't expected her to do a one-hundred-eighty degree turn and verbally slaughter him on the spot, too. He supposed it was a reminder that she'd never really liked him either, and just wanted him to date her. No wonder she and Marinette were sitting together now. His face hardened.

Adrien looked down at the assignment, the tablet pen sitting in his loose hand. Why did this happen? Why did Marinette have to go and lie?

He set the pen down and put his hands to his temples. Nino glanced over, concerned.

Maybe Chat Noir could talk to Ladybug for real. He didn't want anymore lies. He wanted to be truthful, and tell her the truth. About himself, his feelings, and his problems. Even more than Chloe, he felt like Ladybug would listen. Chat Noir and Ladybug were a duo. They were a team. They were partners. And she was the only one that he could really be himself around.

The idea was tempting.

Adrien decided it would happen soon. The two would find themselves perched on a roof in the night. The stars would sparkle above them. He'd work up the courage to confess for real, he'd reveal himself in a show a trust to her. He didn't care as much if she would reveal herself; he knew that she had always been reluctant to do that. But if he could show how much he trusted her… maybe she would, too.

It was a rinse and repeat. Patrol at night and try not to cry. Go to Lila and actually cry. Go to school and avoid Adrien like the plague.

Wait until it all passed.

Most of the class heard news and forgot it over time. Nothing Marinette had done would ever be any worse than what Chloe did on a regular basis, people accepted that she made a mistake and that was that. It helped that Lila defended her, because _everyone_ liked Lila (sans Chloe, and consequently, Sabrina).

That was that for everyone but Adrien and Chloe.

Eventually, every time that she looked at the boy, she didn't feel anything positive. Not a stirring of affection, not the butterflies of love. She knew his reaction to her confession was five percent excusable, but other than that she just felt a little anger and betrayal.

Mostly emptiness.

How much did Marinette want to deal with Chat Noir's grief and sorrow when he found out the truth?

Approximately… not.

She wondered what Adrien was thinking about the whole mess. She could manage to look at him now, but not for too long. They hadn't breathed a word to each other since Adrien jumped on the bandwagon with Chloe the day after her confession.

" _Sorry," Marinette choked out. "I'm sorry. Th-this didn't— I didn't mean to—"_

" _To lie?" Adrien asked suddenly, voice hoarse. Everyone turned to look at him. "Because you were pretty insistent," he added softly._

 _Chloé raised an eyebrow at Marinette. "He's right. I heard it all. Frankly, it was embarrassing."_

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. How many people could she afford to let know who she was?

She was thinking enough time had passed that she would be capable of talking to Chat Noir about the situation. Maybe she didn't want to cause him any more pain. But it wasn't right that she knew his identity, and he didn't. If she couldn't trust him in battle, then...

Maybe he'd apologize. Maybe she could have their friendship back. Maybe they could fix what was broken.

Marinette didn't think she had any feelings left for him, though.

Ladybug followed her usual route to the Eiffel Tower. But surprisingly, while she was normally there early…

Chat Noir was already there. Over the past few weeks, both of them had been slightly less cheery on their patrols and battles. He seemed a little… he seemed almost back to normal.

At least she still had that friendship.

"Good evening, my lady!" He called out to her, pulling her into a quick hug as she landed.

"Chat!" She exclaimed, luckily too surprised to suddenly start crying. He let go before she could react too much, "something good happen?"

"I got to see you!" He replied, winking, and Ladybug just stared.

Oh no. Before she said anything, he turned and leaped off the building.

"Chat!" She called out, and then went after him. Where was he going? That wasn't their usual patrol route, "Where are you going?"

"Just follow me!" He was moving fast, staff shrinking and expanding with every movement. Ladybug bit her lip. What was he planning? But she followed anyway. His voice was playful and benign, and it seemed like… it seemed like she might actually enjoy spending time with him.

For some time it was like playing tag. Sometimes Chat would disappear, and Ladybug would swing to the highest building and seek him out. She'd see the movement, the flash of his bell, and then follow.

In the moment she forgot Chat Noir was Adrien. In the moment she didn't see the boy who accused her of lying, who refused to speak to her or to even look at her. He was smiling and laughing and having fun, and in the moment, she was, too.

Chat Noir touched down in a park that Ladybug had never seen before. It was secluded and surrounded by trees, but there was a little fountain that sprayed water out in arcs. No one else was there, and Ladybug realized with horror what was about to occur.

Her feet hit the ground, and Chat Noir turned to face her.

"Ladybug," He began, mouth in a confident smile, eyes glowing with anticipation and happiness.

Ladybug felt her heart drop like rock as she froze. No.

"I should have told you long ago," Chat Noir said, stepping forward until he had bridged the distance between. Ladybug felt her body go cold, her fingers trembling. No, no. But Chat Noir was too close, he was looking down at her tenderly and with nothing but affection in his eyes. He had no idea how much pain that gentle smile was causing. How Ladybug felt her insides twisting and coiling in her gut.

"What?" She opened her mouth and formed the word, but no sound actually came out.

"I love you, Ladybug," He said the dreaded words, and Ladybug didn't know she was on the verge of tears until Chat Noir's expression changed to that of concern.

"What's wrong?" He asked, and Ladybug shook her head.

"It's- it's-" She tried to say, and Chat Noir frowned.

"I'll show you how much I trust you," He whispered, and then pressed her close to him in a tight embrace.

 _Wait!_ Ladybug wanted to stop this, she wanted to leave, she didn't _want_ this! In a flash of sparkles, the black suit was gone. She found her chin on a familiar white jacket. And he was pulling away from the hug, and Chat Noir was gone. A black kwami was floating nearby.

Adrien was holding her to his chest, looking down with an expectant smile. To make it all worse, a blue scarf was draped around his neck, to keep him warm from the winter weather. _My_ scarf.

"You don't have to do anything," He said, "You don't have to reveal yourself. I want us to be truthful to each other, and I want you to know how much I trust you. You don't even- you don't even have to love me back." Adrien glanced away for a second, but looked back firmly, "I just want you to know that I love you, and that I love you no matter who you are under the mask."

There was a strange, hollow feeling in her chest as she registered the words. He drew her back into the hug, resting his chin on her shoulder and wrapping her in his arms. Ladybug's breathing slowly began to accelerate. Her body went hot and then cold. Her lip began to tremble. This was the boy who called her a liar. Who stood with Chloe and cast her down. Who only looked at her with betrayal in his face.

Hot tears spilled from her eyes, cascading down her cheeks. A torrent of emotions tore through her body, anger and sorrow and desperation mixing.

"Ladybug?" Adrien said quietly, letting go and stepping back. Ladybug shuddered, squeezing her eyes shut as her fingers curled into fists. When she opened her eyes again, Adrien's smile was gone, and he looked almost scared. He was worried and concerned and he cared about her.

 _Not really_.

He only cared about Ladybug.

He didn't care about Marinette.

How was she supposed to say everything she wanted to convey?

The tears kept coming, dripping from her chin.

"You're wrong," She tried to say, throat hurting as it moved around a lump. It came out a weak whisper that Adrien probably didn't understand.

"Ladybug, what's wrong?" He asked, eyebrows creased. He looked so worried and Ladybug was suffering from it. _He doesn't really love me_.

"I… I said you're wrong," She repeated, a little louder. He looked at her in dismay.

"What?" He looked down at himself and then back at her, confused.

"You don't love me," Ladybug said, trying to calm her roiling emotions. She wiped away a tear.

"But I do! I've never been so sure of anything in my entire life," Adrien professed, and then he literally was on his knees. " _I promise_ , Ladybug. I love you so much it hurts. Ever since we met-"

Suddenly Adrien appeared to look pensive. Ladybug took the opportunity.

"How can you say you'll love me no matter what if you don't know what's under this mask?" She asked.

"You're brave and strong and beautiful no matter what, Ladybug. _My lady._ " For some reason his words were a little less sure.

"I…" Ladybug took a deep breath, and then looked down at him firmly. "I will only do this because it's unfair that I know who you are and you don't know who I am. This is going to change everything between us, _chaton_. And not necessarily for the better." She had managed to calm her voice, but the tears kept coming. There was no stopping them.

"What do you mean?" He asked, looking up at Ladybug with wide eyes. But she didn't answer and just closed her eyes for a second.

 _Now._

In a flurry of sensation and sparkles, the Ladybug suit unraveled and vanished, leaving behind an ordinary girl.

Adrien's face transformed, from confusion and sorrow to devastation.

Marinette opened her eyes, looking directly at him.

"This, is what I meant," She said quietly, feeling Tikki gently pat her shoulder. Having Tikki physically there with her gave her some strength. She wasn't alone, and she took comfort in that fact.

"Marinette…" Adrien's head fell and his body began to shake.

Marinette bit her lip, looking away. The fountain was still running, letting beautiful arcs of water splash into a circular pool. The dim light from the lanterns nearby sparkled on the liquid.

It was pretty, and it was the setting for a tragedy.

"You don't love me," Marinette repeated, and Adrien looked up at her, green eyes full of guilt and sorrow. But he didn't protest against her. "Maybe you loved me with a mask. But that was all you really loved. The mask, and not the girl underneath. You said you would love the girl behind the mask no matter what. But you were wrong… you _lied_."

"I-I didn't know," He said, voice broken and shaking.

"I did. That's why I tried to tell you." Marinette felt like there was no emotion left. The anger and sadness had overtaken her and then vanished. Here she was again, empty inside. "I saw Chat Noir turn into you. Then I decided I would finally confess, because I knew we both liked each other. How perfect it was, wasn't it? I loved you, Adrien. Chat Noir loved Ladybug. I thought we were going to be happy together," She said coolly. The tears stopped, and she wiped the remnants of them away.

Adrien was silent, and Marinette could see in the darkness that he was on the verge of crying, as well.

"But you've shown me that you don't really love me. You don't like me and you don't trust me. I have never given you any reason to doubt me. To doubt Marinette. And yet, you accused me of lying. _Me,_ of all people. After all I've done… I loved you. I agonized over liking you. I made you that scarf, I wrote you a love letter and I nearly gave away my Miraculous to save you." Marinette couldn't stop the words, and even the things that she hadn't meant to say were spilling out. Adrien's hand went to his scarf in confusion and his expression was filled with more pain with everything she said.

"I- I'm sorry," He said, looking earnestly up at her. Marinette looked away. She knew he was being truthful. She knew that he felt guilty.

But it wasn't something she could forgive like that.

"I wish this was something a simple apology could fix," She said sorrowfully, "But you broke my heart and my trust in you. This is more complex than a single sorry."

"I know," Adrien nodded, his voice full of pain, "I know, and I'm so sorry. Is there anything, _anything_ I can do to help make it up to you?" But he knew, and Marinette knew, that at that moment, there was nothing that could fix the crack that now divided them.

Marinette turned away from him, unable to look for much longer. She felt a little lighter now, now that she'd said it, even if she'd caused a lot of pain during it. She'd endured lots of pain, too, maybe more than she'd caused.

"Tikki, transform me," She whispered quietly, and in a few seconds, she was Ladybug again. She had to go. She took hold of her yoyo.

"Ladybug, wait!" Adrien called, and Ladybug resisted the temptation to look back behind her, but she slowed her walk to a stop, and waited to hear what he had to say. "I- maybe you won't believe me- god, I'm so sorry- but I _do_ love you. I promised I would, no matter what!"

Ladybug exhaled a shaky breath. Maybe Adrien wanted to love her. Maybe he thought he loved her. She knew he wasn't trying to make her feel bad.

But she could tell that he didn't love Marinette. If he couldn't love Marinette, then they… there was nothing for them to have together.

Besides, her feelings for him had dissipated long ago.

"Make sure Hawkmoth doesn't send an akuma after you," She finally said, too worn to give a valid response to what he said. Ladybug broke into a run and hurled her yoyo out, and then she was airborne.

She tried not to hear what she thought was Adrien sobbing, and she flew fast until she was alone.


	5. Chapter 5

_I promise, Ladybug. I love you so much it hurts. Ever since we met-_

Adrien should have seen it long ago.

When he met Ladybug, she'd been shy. Clumsy. Unconfident. She'd almost said her real name out loud.

She'd been Marinette long before she was ever Ladybug. And Adrien had seen that. He had _been_ there. He'd had all the clues in front of his eyes.

But just because he'd "seen" them… he never really put them together.

For once, Plagg was silent, merely sitting there as Adrien wept, fists dirty and solidly planted on the cobblestone beneath them. His rejection played out before his eyes over and over, but this time, instead of seeing Marinette, he saw Ladybug. It had been Ladybug who he'd cruelly rejected, Ladybug who he'd shut down and hurt. It had been Ladybug that he'd left alone in the snow. Alone.

It had been the love of his life that he'd hurt beyond belief.

Adrien let out a wracked sob, pressing his head to the ground as his heart ached. The pain of thinking he'd lost a friend… it was next to nothing when he realized how much pain he had caused to his lady. He'd caused the blankness in her expression, the dimness in her eyes.

Adrien had done that to the one person who he prized over everyone else.

"It was only a matter of time," Plagg said, and it took only those words for Adrien to shoot up, anger suddenly coursing through him.

"Did you know?!" He hissed, casting a glare down at the kwami, who barely moved. He grabbed Plagg, furious for a second when he stopped himself. It wasn't right to take it out on his kwami; it wasn't even his fault.

It was Adrien's fault, and he knew it.

"I'm sorry," He opened his grip, suddenly ashamed of his behavior.

"Hey, it's okay," Plagg said, actually serious for once. He patted Adrien's palm, but it did little to make Adrien feel better. He'd messed up terribly, and he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to fix it, "I didn't know that it was Marinette, but I knew it had to be someone in the school. I could sense the other kwami every time we were there; I just didn't know who."

"Oh," Adrien sighed.

He wondered if Ladybug had had anyone with her throughout the whole month of the misunderstanding. Had she suffered alone through it? Adrien knew Alya would never let that happen, and it seemed she'd also become friends with Lila.

He wondered if they knew about the situation. That Marinette was Ladybug and that Adrien was Chat Noir. Did Lila know?

Adrien brought his hand to his chest and held Plagg close. Because unlike Marinette, who had Alya and Lila to stick by her side until the end, Adrien had no one.

Nino was distant. Chloe was still cruel, even if she was his "friend." But they didn't hang out outside of school, like Marinette and her friends did. Adrien was too busy modeling and being the perfect son. His dad couldn't know, and he couldn't imagine ever talking to him about his problems, nor could he with Natalie. No one he was close with knew that he was Chat Noir.

He only had the kwami that made him Chat Noir in the first place. Adrien spent a solid minute sitting there, hands wrapped around Plagg who looked a little flustered. He was cold from what had transpired and from the snow around them. He'd spent awhile before patrol to break the layer of ice covering the fountain pool, and to turn the fountain on, and the water had started to freeze again. Adrien got to his feet, hugging Plagg to his chest to try and soothe the ache in his heart.

"Let's go home, Plagg. I'm sorry you had to see me like that," He whispered, and let Plagg jump up from his cold hands, "Transform me."

Ladybug jumped from building to building, feeling a little sad, but satisfied and refreshed. Revealing herself wasn't something she could hide forever. She'd had to do it, and she was glad she finally had. Adrien needed to know. Marinette needed Adrien to know.

And now he did. She wondered how everything would change from then on. How would Adrien and Marinette interact now? How would Ladybug and Chat Noir treat each other? Everything would be different.

She pushed those thoughts aside and instead focused on the positive of the situation.  
Marinette hadn't been alone during this. Sure, she had Alya, but Alya didn't know that Adrien and Chat Noir were one and the same, which was a whole other thing.

The real silver lining was Lila.

Lila, who'd dried Ladybug's tears and let her talk her frustrations in the dark of the night. Lila, who'd hold Ladybug when she was overwhelmed with emotion. Lila, who looked at Ladybug not because of pity, but because of a tugging friendship. They were friends now, and Lila was an irreplaceable one at that. Over the two weeks, the visits became a little less about Ladybug's problems and sobbing, and they had found themselves sharing stories and opinions. They found themselves hunched over Lila's computer, laughing at comics and funny jokes. The found themselves yelling at the screen as Lila showed Marinette some video games she owned. They found themselves putting together outfits together for Lila, taking down blouses and skirts from her closet and deciding what would look good together. They found themselves eating cup ramen on the floor of Lila's bedroom, embracing the warmth of the soup that fought against the chill of the outdoors.

They found themselves together.

And that was where they found themselves tonight.

Ladybug smiled a little when she saw the open window; Lila had already been expecting her. Ladybug carefully slipped in. What she didn't expect to see was Lila slumped over at her desk in darkness, snoozing away over what was probably schoolwork. Ladybug realized Lila had been waiting longer than usual, because her "patrol" had been extended due to unforeseen circumstances. But it was cold outside, and the frigid air had cooled the room's temperature down considerably, and Lila was only wearing light pajamas.

Ladybug closed the window behind her, feeling the emptiness inside of her fill up a little bit. Lila didn't stir from the sound, so Ladybug stepped over as quietly as she could, bent her knees and tried to stealthily slip her arms underneath the slumbering girl. Lila was always sharp and confident and witty, but asleep her face was a little softer, and she seemed vulnerable. Ladybug lifted Lila up, and winced when she realized she was probably cold too, and hurried to Lila's bed, where she cursed herself and realized she hadn't pulled back the comforters, and could only lay Lila down on top of them.

Ladybug frowned and glanced around, and decided she could just use a leg to pull back the blankets, so she leaned back a little bit and tightened her grip on Lila, and then lifted up her right leg. She hooked the comforter on her foot, and then twisted her body, trying to pull the sheets back. Somehow she managed to do it without falling, over, and set Lila down on the bed. Ladybug pulled the comforter a little bit further so she could move it from under Lila's legs, and then draped it over Lila's body, dragging it up so it reached her chest.

Lila barely moved, her chest rising and falling with every calm breath. She looked content and peaceful.

She looked happy. Ladybug spent half a minute, looking down at Lila, wondering how Lila's thoughts two week ago led her to this friendship.

Ladybug thought she was lucky to have had someone with her during this crisis, and smiled down at the girl. She didn't know how she would have been able to cope with the disaster without her.

"Thank you," she whispered quietly, and Lila's eyes flew open. Oh, crap! Ladybug stepped backwards in surprise. _Crap_. "Sorry! I didn't mean to wake you," She said quickly, and Lila looked around, still half-asleep.

"Marinette?" She squinted up at Ladybug, blinked, and then her eyes snapped open. "Oh man, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep." Lila sat up, brushing her hair back. She looked down at the blanket, then back to Ladybug, "Did you carry me to my bed?"

Ladybug turned red.

"You were asleep at your desk, so… yes?" She shrugged sheepishly.

"You didn't have to do that, but thanks," Lila said, cheeks also slightly pink, "Did anything happen during patrol?"

Ladybug let out a big exhale, visibly deflating. Lila scooted over and patted the bed.

"Sit down," Lila said , and even lifted the comforter for her, "You're probably freezing."

Ladybug _was_ cold, but had already warmed up a bit inside the room. But she sidled over and sat down, legs hanging off the side. Lila gave her a look, still holding the blanket up.

"Come on, Mari. I don't want you to freeze." She stared pointedly at Ladybug until she agreed and gingerly shifted her legs up onto the bed, and Lila set the comforter down on top of them, "so what's up? What happened?"

Ladybug looked down at her hands, which were red and spotted, and flexed her fingers a bit.

"Chat Noir told me who he was and confessed to me," She said, and Lila looked up at her in surprise.

"What did you do?" Lila asked, shifting so she was leaning slightly against Ladybug.

"This," Ladybug said, and released her transformation. Tikki, tired from the transformation, flew to Marinette's purse. Marinette reached down to her feet, pulling her shoes off and dropping them on the floor.

"Yikes." Lila put a hand on one of Marinette's, squeezing it as it give her some strength.

"Yea." Marinette nodded, "I uh, I may or may not have left him crying alone."

Lila stared again, but then shrugged.

"Kind of like what he did to you, huh?" She said, and reached over with her hand so she could hold Marinette's in both of hers. Lila's fingers were warm, and they pressed into Marinette's palm, chasing away the cold. Marinette nodded again, and felt a little less guilty.

"I guess so," Marinette said. Only a little time had passed since the incident, but already she was feeling lighter. Lila had a way of doing that, she supposed.

"Are you alright, though?" Lila suddenly asked, and Marinette just shrugged.

"I don't know anymore," She said truthfully, and Lila wrapped Marinette's hands in hers, holding it firmly.

"It's okay if you're not alright," Lila said, and just like that, Marinette felt the walls coming down. She wasn't a superhero anymore. She wasn't wearing the mask right now and she was just Marinette. She was just an ordinary girl and she was dealing with too much in life. Marinette turned to Lila and just curled into her, hands pressing to her eyes as she tried to breathe. She'd already shed many tears earlier that night and she didn't think she had anymore left.

And she was right. There were no tears welling up in her eyes, but she still felt small and a little pathetic. But Lila was warm and curling her arms around Marinette, holding her closely. Her presence was grounding and comforting. One of Lila's hands moved up to her head and just stroked her hair, calming Marinette down. Lila was deliberate in her movements but gentle and caring and it was hard to believe that they were enemies only a little while ago.

Marinette didn't want to go.

"You can sleep over if you want," Lila said quietly, "My parents are on a business trip."

That sounded like a good idea. Marinette searched around with a hand, looking for her purse among the blankets and accidentally brushed Lila's leg.

"Sorry," She murmured tiredly, and slipped her phone out of the purse.

"It's all good," Lila replied, and didn't move.

"Am I gonna sleep on the bed?" Marinette asked. Last time Lila had taken out a sleeping bag and used that, letting Marinette use the bed.

"You can, if you want. But I'm going to sleep on the bed no matter what. It's cold and I don't want to get the other stuff out," Lila said.

"Are you okay with sharing a bed?" Marinette asked, a little hesitant. She'd shared beds with Alya before during sleepovers, but never with Lila. It was kind of an intimacy that required months of friendship. But Lila didn't seem to mind, and Marinette was so warm and comfortable that she didn't want to move.

"Yea, it's fine," Lila said, "It's you, after all."

Marinette turned a little red and wondered what Lila exactly meant by that. She thought they might just face away from each other for sleeping on the bed, but as she shifted, Lila moved too, rolling underneath the comforter until they were both facing the same way. The bed wasn't too big so they were relatively close to each other, Marinette's curved body mirroring the curve of Lila behind her. Marinette was close to the edge, and she wasn't sure if she'd fall partway through. She shifted again, not sure if Lila minded how closed they were and then she'd gone too far, her body tipping over the edge.

A firm grip landed on her hip, halting her fall, and Marinette felt Lila carefully pull her away from the edge.

"Sorry," Marinette said, feeling embarrassed, "I can just get the sleeping bag-"

"No, this is fine," Lila said, "I can just put my arm like this and you'll be fine." Marinette froze as she felt the arm drape around her waist, never having had such an intimate contact with anyone.

"Oh," Marinette said meekly, curling up even more, still a little embarrassed, but kind of alright with the whole situation. She wasn't going to lie to herself, she kind of needed some physical comfort after what happened with Chat Noir.

So she let Lila's arms hold her closely, feeling Lila all across her backside.

"Night," Lila said, completely unfazed by their proximity.

"Goodnight," Marinette said back, and took comfort in the arms around her. Maybe Adrien didn't really care about her. About Marinette.

But Lila, she thought, did.

Most of the time, Lila would wake up to an empty house. Parents already left work, already had been at work and never came back, or just doing it is whatever else they do. She was already used to it. The barren walls and empty halls.

It was normally just her.

Alone.

Lila shifted a bit in her sleep, hugging whatever she was holding closer. It was warm and it felt like another person; it made her think of the home she never had.

She'd given up on having close people once she'd started traveling with her parents. But someone had come into her life anyway. Lila hadn't been about to shove them away; she welcomed them with open arms (literally), even if they'd had bad history.

She didn't want to let them go.

She didn't want to let her go.

Still mostly asleep, she pressed her face into the warm object.

Now that Marinette and Adrien knew the truth about each other, would Marinette come see her anymore?

Lila blinked slowly and tiredly, becoming aware of the world around her, and squinted at the dark mass in front of her.

Oh _crap_.

Lila's eyes flew open and she gasped a little upon realizing she had literally wrapped herself around Marinette. She thought she had more restraint than that.

Heck, she'd thought she'd had more restraint _last night_. What kind of suave girl just appeared out of nowhere and told Marinette to sleep in the same bed as her? Lila knew she was cool and calm.

She didn't think she was smooth.

Lila wasn't sure how to get up. She was the one with her back pressed against the wall, and didn't have enough room to roll onto her back. Holding her breath, she first tried to slide her arm out from Marinette's waist. At that, Marinette moved a little bit and Lila froze. Oh god.

But Marinette settled back down into a slumber, and Lila continued moving. She didn't want Marinette to wake up and see she had just been… ensconced… during the night.

Lila realized with a start that she'd put her leg up and over Marinette's.

Oh _god_. She sucked in a breath. _I'm so gross; she literally just had the world's worst misunderstanding with her crush; she's probably straight; I hate myself_. Lila internally headbanged as she lifted her leg and brought it back behind Marinette

Lila was just screwing herself over. Just because there was a special spot (hah) in her heart for Marinette didn't mean there was one for her in Marinette's. Lila bit her lip and kept shimmying her arm out, which was a bit more difficult, because Marinette's arm was on top of it. Suddenly, Marinette moved again, and before Lila knew anything was happening, Marinette's hand found hers on her waist, and Lila couldn't find it within her to keep trying to move her arm out.

She hated this and she loved it. She wanted to be closer to Marinette but she didn't want to take advantage of her unfortunate situation.

She hadn't ever had anyone like her that much; why would Marinette? Lila had just happened to be there at Marinette's worst, and helped her cope with the pain of Adrien's words. Maybe Marinette had always piqued her interest when she'd moved to Paris, and she'd just taken the opportunity to talk to her, but that didn't mean Marinette liked Lila any more than she liked Alya.

Lila didn't think her feelings were anywhere at love yet, but she had a lot of affection to give for Marinette, and _only_ Marinette.

Marinette's hand on hers was warm and sent butterflies into Lila's stomach.

This wouldn't last.

After Ladybug and Chat Noir solved their troubles and had happy patrols, Ladybug wouldn't need to come to Lila's anymore. Adrien still loved her probably, and would redouble his efforts to make up for what he'd done. Marinette would probably rediscover her love for him (She'd only talked too much about her feelings during their meetings, and the heartbreak she'd felt once it all started). They'd be the perfect crime-fighting superhero couple.

And Lila would be forgotten.

With renewed vigor, Lila carefully untangled herself from Marinette and climbed out of bed from the foot end. She needed to stop.

Marinette stirred as Lila got up, and reached out for Lila's hand before she was off the bed.

Lila looked back in surprise, heart thudding in her chest. Marinette blinked and looked around, and then she was awake. She let go of Lila's hand, turning red.

"Oh, sorry," She mumbled, letting her hand settle on the bed.

"It's fine," Lila said. It was always fine if it was Marinette. Even if it made her heartstrings twist.

The next day that they had school, Lila worried that Marinette would sit behind Adrien's seat like she had before it all happened. But that didn't happen, and Marinette and Alya came to the back. When Adrien walked in, he waved nervously to Marinette, worry etched in every part of his face. Marinette nodded to acknowledge it, but didn't wave back. His eyes then lingered on Lila, and she matched his gaze until he looked away.

That was the start of recovery.

For some reason, Ladybug kept stopping by Lila's house after every patrol. Lila suspected that it was because the problem hadn't been entirely resolved yet. She was sure that once it was, though, Marinette and Adrien would be a couple. Their situation had been so perfect. They were probably made for each other.

Lila didn't think Adrien deserved her. Sure, he was a nice guy, but the kind of pain he had caused Marinette wasn't something she could quite forgive. He didn't know that _she_ knew, however, so she just refrained from talking to him. She would have given him a mouthful otherwise.

But despite that, Marinette had loved Adrien so much in the beginning. She'd had pictures up of him everywhere. She'd made him birthday presents and fantasized about a life with him. A love like that could be rekindled even after being extinguished, Lila thought.

The week passed, and Lila took every Ladybug meeting to be the last. Marinette and Adrien were tentative friends again. Nino, relieved that the drama was over, was good again. Alya only was nice to Adrien because Marinette was, but she still harbored some bad feelings about him. So the civilian life was mending itself. Ladybug and Chat Noir fought their battles again. They risked their life for each other.

Lila was waiting for the next Ladyblog post that talked about the superheroes' relationship. She was waiting for it to be over. For Ladybug not to need her anymore. For Marinette not to need her anymore.

Because the truth was that _no one_ needed her.

When Christmas came, it was on a patrol night. Lila didn't think Marinette was going to show up, but she got her a present anyway. It was wrapped in pink and green paper and tied with a big white ribbon.

Marinette only ever wore her hero earrings. Lila had thought maybe she'd look really nice with a necklace. It was a simple chain with a silver heart frame and a pink heart-shaped gem hanging in the frame. There were also other assorted things, like sewing thread and needle sets and a card. Lila thought this was dumb but she did it anyway: she taped a little mistletoe to the top of her window. She could dream. She even had a plate of cookies and other snacks, and even a few drinks at the ready.

When Ladybug stepped into her room she nearly had a heart attack, because she hadn't actually thought she'd come. Lila jumped up from her desk, hurrying to the window and closing it. The mistletoe swung a little bit with the motion.

"Marinette!" She exclaimed in surprise.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Ladybug laughed, and Lila realized she was holding a package.

She'd gotten Lila a present.

Lila felt happiness glow inside of her.

"It's Christmas, so I thought maybe you were busy," Lila explained, shrugging. Ladybug smiled.

"How could I miss this?" She said, and Lila felt it again. Her heart jumped a little bit. She looked around and spotted the present she'd got for Marinette and grabbed it.

"Merry Christmas," She said nervously, holding the box out. Ladybug's smile grew larger and it touched her eyes. The two exchanged the gifts, and Ladybug glanced up.

"Is that a mistletoe?" She asked, and Lila looked away, scratching her head.

"Yea, I-uh, I thought I should put a little decoration?" She said, face red, "Maybe we should honor tradition, haha!" Lila was stopped by Ladybug's fingers lifting her chin up and her face coming really close.

Wait, what?

Lila's eyes were wide as she felt Ladybug gently press her lips to hers.

Marinette's present fell from her hands in surprise, and Lila wrapped her arms around Ladybug's body. _This isn't real._

 _I have to make this last_.

But Ladybug didn't start moving away or anything, and just tilted her head a little more so their mouths could meet just a little better. Lila felt faint, closing her eyes. This couldn't be real- Ladybug was supposed to be with Chat Noir, rekindling their relationship and becoming a couple.

But the lips on hers were so very real. The body she held was warm and solid. Lila's lack of air was apparent.

When Ladybug pulled back, it spilled from Lila's mouth.

" _Ireallylikeyou!_ " She said in one fell swoop, and then looked horrified. _Crap_. Ladybug blinked in surprise, but recovered.

"Oh, that's good," She said, cheeks red underneath her mask, "I like you a lot too."

 _Oh._

Lila blushed harder, mouth pressed shut as she stared in disbelief.

"I thought you were straight," She confessed, and Ladybug giggled.

"Me too," Ladybug said, "I realized I was wrong not too long ago."

 _Oh._

Lila drew Ladybug into a hug, relief and surprise coursing through her body. Ladybug chose _Lila._ Marinette chose _Lila_. Of all people…

When they finally moved from the window to sit down on the bed and began to open their presents, Lila was surprised again. Out from the green box came a beautiful ripple of green fabric. A dress spilled out from the cardboard, and Lila stood up so she could hold it up. The top was a green that matched her eyes and had a black stripe across her waist, and the skirt fell out in floaty white layers.

There were even _pockets_ in the black middle.

"It's beautiful," She breathed, probably on the verge of tears.

"I think it would be even prettier on you," Ladybug said, and Lila smiled so hard her cheeks hurt. Lila hurried to the closet to try it on , and when she came back, it was not Ladybug but Marinette who was fastening a necklace on herself. The skirt was light and delicate on her legs, and lifted up a bit when she twirled.

"You're gorgeous," Marinette said, eyes open in wonder.

"No, you," Lila insisted, and sat down next to Marinette on the bed, and Marinette laughed again.

"Thank you so much." Marinette looked up at Lila with a grin, "I love this necklace so much."

"Of course!" Lila nodded vigorously, "It looks so pretty on you."

Marinette smiled shyly.

The two shared cookies and snacks and huddled on the bed, watching a show on Lila's laptop.

When Marinette had to leave, they shared another kiss under the mistletoe. Lila waved out the window, watching as Ladybug soared through the sky. As the snow floated downward and the stars sparkled above, Lila thought that perhaps she was the closest to happiness she'd ever been.

And when she hung up the dress in her closet and saw the text appear on her phone, she knew that was lucky to have met Marinette.


End file.
